“Now that they are there, they’re going to be entrenched,” Hisham al-Omeisi, senior analyst at the Brussels-based European Institute of Peace, told the BBC. “And it’s going to be a lot more costly to push them out.”Of course, the Houthis are not alone. They enjoy the backing of Iran, support that has become even more
On Friday, Yemeni pro-government forces withdrew from Perim (also known as Mayyun). Witnesses and news agencies reported that Houthi forces moved on to the island.The Houthis later issued a statement, saying that their military operation to expel Saudi-backed forces had been a “success” and that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi
Three Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils commemorating Beijing’s 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protests have been handed prison sentences of up to seven years.Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were convicted last month of inciting others to subvert state power, under the city’s controversial national security law. A third defendant, Albert Ho,
Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk on suspicion of embezzling 100 million baht ($3m; £2.2m) from his monastery, along with a suspected female accomplice he was filmed having sex with.Phra Wachirayan Wi, a former abbot at the prominent 14th-Century Wat Phutthaisawan in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, allegedly pocketed donations meant for the temple
Israel’s military says it has destroyed a large underground complex operated by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It said it used more than 1,000 tonnes of explosives to destroy two tunnels spanning more than 2km (1.2 miles) beneath the Ali Taher Ridge. The blast triggered seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake, according to the
Black Axe is a shadowy criminal network known for its extreme violence and operates across Africa, Europe and North America.A BBC Eye investigation in 2021 suggested that the syndicate had become one of the most far-reaching and dangerous organised crime groups in the world.Nigeria is its main recruitment ground and many of its members are
A dress worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after a documentary was televised in which the then-Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage is going up for auction.Her dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 in a custom-made black silk evening dress by designer Christina Stambolian became an
This year’s 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks has become embroiled in divisive politics. There are controversial calls for the city’s first Muslim Mayor to sit out the commemorative event, including from Rudy Giuliani who was New York’s mayor on the morning of 9/11.Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he will attend and his focus
Mokha residents said Houthi fighters moved into the city after fierce clashes with pro-government forces on Wednesday night, prompting many families to flee their homes.”The takeover came without warning. Panic spread throughout the area, forcing people to flee amid distressing scenes of injured people lying in the streets with no-one there to help them,” one
At least 24 schoolchildren have died in a stampede as they tried to flee a fire that engulfed two schools in rebel-held Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials there have said.Adults are also reported to have died in the fire and there are fears that the death toll could rise further in
A tourist coach has crashed in the south-eastern Swiss Alps, leaving several people dead and several injured, local police say.The bus overturned between Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden – also known as Grisons – region late on Thursday afternoon.A large team of rescuers equipped with several helicopters was deployed to the scene.Some 48 Dutch
A man has been given a six-month jail term in France after he threatened to kill a female primary school teacher who had disciplined his son at a village primary school.He was sentenced after a fast-track hearing on Thursday, six days after the events unfolded in Le Fauga, a village with a population of about
Efforts to identify victims have been complicated by a number of factors.Human remains were damaged in the plane crashes and fires caused by jet fuel, meaning the office had only portions of victims for DNA samples, Soler said.Scauso added that because of the timing of the attacks, many firefighters were changing shifts, but some stayed
